Guns N’ Roses Debut “Absurd,” a Reworked Version of Unreleased “Silkworms” at Fenway Park

The amount of material left (at least as of now) on Axl Rose’s cutting-room floor has to be among the most bountiful for any recording act of the past few decades – and earlier this week, Guns N’ Roses dipped into that vault for a live debut at Fenway Park in Boston.

Roughly halfway through their set, GnR dove headfirst into “Absurd,” a reworked version of an old demo track that went by the name “Silkworms” and was performed a handful of times back around 2000, as Rose was putting the finishing touches on what would be the infamous Chinese Democracy record.

The new version, at least from the fan-recorded videos seen/heard below, sounds like one of the more aggressive tracks the iconic band has put together over the years, as seen in this performance from Slash, Duff McKagan, Rose and the rest of the band. Note Axl’s … interesting vocal choice for the song, which is mostly consistent with the old demo recording. It’s starkly different from his usual singing voice, that’s for sure:

Here’s another vantage point of the song, from the same show:

The Fenway Park show came as part of the new, rescheduled tour dates Guns N’ Roses announced back in early June, with special guest Mammoth WVH along for the ride in most cities.

The schedule, barring any future changes:

^ Festival Date/Mammoth WVH Not Performing

Thu Aug 05 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
Sun Aug 08 – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
Wed Aug 11 – Fargo, ND – FargoDome
Fri Aug 13 – Missoula, MT – Washington-Grizzly Stadium
Mon Aug 16 – Commerce City, CO – DICK’S Sporting Goods Park
Thu Aug 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Banc of California Stadium
Sun Aug 22 – Portland, OR – Moda Center*
Wed Aug 25 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center at San Jose*
Fri Aug 27 – Las Vegas, NV – Venue to be announced*
Mon Aug 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Phoenix Suns Arena*
Wed Sep 01 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center*
Sat Sep 04 – Napa, CA – BottleRock Napa Valley^
Wed Sep 08 – Indianapolis, IN – Lucas Oil Stadium
Sat Sep 11 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena*
Sun Sep 12 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena*
Thu Sep 16 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
Sat Sep 18 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater | Summerfest
Tue Sep 21 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center*
Thu Sep 23 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center*
Sun Sep 26 – Baltimore, MD – Royal Farms Arena*
Wed Sep 29 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena*
Sat Oct 02 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live Arena*
Sun Oct 03 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live Arena*

This news comes after Guns N’ Roses also announced the rescheduling of a planned Summer 2021 European tour to Summer ’22.